Idris Elba Granted Permit to Build Film Studio in Zanzibar

Idris Elba was assigned a location in Zanzibar to launch a film studio.

The BBC reports that the UK actor and DJ has been given the green light to take part in developing Africa’s growing film industry in the Tanzanian archipelago in East Africa – with a studio that could resemble “Hollywood, Nollywood or Bollywood” and could be “Zollywood, ” according to Zanzibar investment minister Shariff Ali Shariff speaking at the Zanzibar International Film Festival this week.

Elba, who grew up in East London, is originally from Sierra Leone and Ghana, and has expressed his desire to participate in building this type of industry in Africa.

The BBC quotes a Zanzibar presidential spokesman as saying: “If successful, this project will not only help Tanzania but also east and central Africa.”

In February 2023, Elba spoke about plans to build a film studio in Ghana: “Right now, we’re calling it West African Studios, but that’s a working title. We have been working on this for the last three or four years to put together a program that puts the center at the center of African filmmaking.”